Merchandise display system

ABSTRACT

An inexpensive and easy to assemble merchandise display system is disclosed. The system includes at least one elongated wall having front and rear edges and including a plurality of slits extending from the front edge into the wall, and at least one shelf having front and rear edges and including a plurality of slits extending from the rear edge into the shelf. The wall and shelf slits are configured to be matingly engageable so that the shelf and wall can be selectively interlocked by engagement of a shelf slit and a wall slit to form a skeletal structure that defines uniform or non-uniform areas, as desired.

This application claims the benefit of Provisional application60/633,329 filed Dec. 3, 2004, the entire content of which is expresslyincorporated herein by reference thereto.

BACKGROUND ART

The present invention generally relates to an inexpensive and flexiblemerchandise display system. In an embodiment, the merchandise displaysystem includes at least one elongated wall having front and rear edgesand including a plurality of slits extending from the front edge intothe wall, and at least one shelf having front and rear edges andincluding a plurality of slits extending from the rear edge into theshelf. The shelf and wall can be selectively interlocked by engagementof a shelf slit and a wall slit to form a skeletal structure defininguniform or non-uniform areas, as desired. The merchandise display iseasy to assemble, and provides for the easy loading, organization,storage, shipment, display, promotion and dispensing of containerized orpackaged goods, for example, goods contained within jars, bottles, cansand boxes.

Adjustable product or merchandise display and dispensing units areknown. For example, a wide variety of modular display devices have beendesigned and manufactured for use in organizing and merchandisingshelved products to consumers. Supermarkets and other retail storescommonly utilize the displays to show and focus attention on theproducts displayed therein.

It is also common practice to provide product display apparatus toproduct manufacturers for loading, organizing and shipping products toretailers. The retailers set up the loaded product displays within theirretail stores. Such product displays typically include a housing made ofcardboard and multiple interior cardboard walls or wire guides, and aredelivered in kit form to the manufacturers' site for assembly andloading of products. A manufacturer may hire a third party co-packer toassemble such display devices and to load them with products forshipping to retailers. Such cardboard containers tend to be difficult toassemble and typically are somewhat flimsy. Due to the time and effortrequired to assemble and load such product displays, manufacturers paythe co-packers increased fees and that cost is either passed on toconsumers or eats into profits.

A need therefore exists for a product display that is inexpensive,simple to assemble, and that is sturdy and presentable so as to meet thedisplay and dispensing requirements of retailers.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to an inexpensive, easy to assemble and flexiblemerchandise display system. The system includes at least one elongatedwall having front and rear edges and including a plurality of slitsextending from the front edge into the wall, and at least one shelfhaving front and rear edges and including a plurality of slits extendingfrom the rear edge into the shelf. The slits are configured to bematingly engageable so that the shelf and wall can be selectivelyinterlocked by engagement of a shelf slit and a wall slit to form askeletal structure defining uniform or non-uniform areas, as desired.

Advantageously, the skeletal structure includes at least two shelvesinterlocked with two walls, wherein each shelf includes an articleretaining lip provided at the front edge of the shelf and each wallincludes a stand portion provided on the rear edge of the wall. Theslits of the wall and/or the shelf are generally aligned with each otherbut are present in a non-uniform pattern.

The wall or shelf, or both, can be made of a paper composite material,cardboard or corrugated cardboard, plastic, rubber, fiberglass, metal ora composite material. When cardboard is used, it can be bent to formfirst and second side portions that provide a more stiff or rigidconstruction. Also, the cardboard can be bent to form the front lip ofthe shelf or the stand portion of the wall. Preferably, the wall and theshelf are made of the same material.

The skeletal structure is used to hold articles for display wherein thearticles are arranged in the areas. This enables the skeletal structureto be configured to different open area dimensions to accommodatedifferent sized articles or products. Preferably, the wall slits extendabout half-way into the wall and the shelf slits extend about half-wayinto the shelf. This facilitates the secure engagement of the wall andshelf in the skeletal structure.

Generally, the apparatus further comprises a housing. This housing maybe any shape and the skeletal structure is configured to be fitted intothe housing. Preferably, the housing is rectangular and comprises a topwall, a bottom wall, a first side wall, a second side wall, and a rearwall. It is desirable for the housing to be of one piece construction.It is possible for the wall, the shelf and the housing to all be made ofthe same material. The article retaining lips include at least one ofartwork, advertising or promotional material to further enhance thedisplay of the articles.

The details of one or more embodiments of the invention are set forth inthe accompanying drawings and the detailed description below. Otherfeatures and advantages of the invention will be apparent from thedetailed description and drawings, and from the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES

Other aspects, purposes and advantages of the invention will becomeclear after reading the following detailed description with reference tothe attached drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a front perspective view of an assembled embodiment of amerchandise display system according to the invention.

FIG. 2 depicts a partially assembled merchandise display similar to thatof FIG. 1, which includes a skeletal structure and a housing.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of two walls fitted to a shelf.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged, rear view of a wall connected to two shelves.

Like reference symbols in the various drawings indicate like elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 shows a preferred embodiment of an assembled merchandise displaysystem 100 according to the invention. In this implementation, themerchandise display system 100 includes a housing 2 having a top wall 3,a bottom wall 4, sides walls 6 and 7, and a rear wall 8 (shown in FIG.2). Merchandise boxes 10 have been loaded into the merchandise display,and are shown sitting on the bottom wall 4 and on two shelves 12 and 14that include article retaining lips 13 and 15. Separating themerchandise boxes and supporting the shelves 12 and 14 are two walls 16and 18. In the embodiment shown, the article retaining lips 13 and 15 ofthe shelves and the outer wall portions of the housing 2 are blank, butthese areas may contain artwork, advertising or other promotionalmaterial. The merchandise boxes 10 may be loaded as shown inside thehousing 2, and in a retail environment consumers remove the merchandisefor purchase from any of the compartments or areas defined by theshelves 12,14 and walls 16,18. The merchandise containers shown in theexample of FIG. 1 are all boxes, but it should be understood that othercontainers such as jars, cans and boxes of different sizes and shapescould also be housed and dispensed by a suitably configured anddimensioned product display 100.

FIG. 2 depicts a partially assembled merchandise display, with themerchandise boxes 10 waiting to be loaded therein. A skeletal structure25 has been assembled that includes two walls 16 and 18 interlocked withtwo shelf components 12 and 14. The skeletal structure 25 may beforce-fit into the housing 2 so that the back portions of the walls andshelves are contacting the back wall 8 of the housing, in order to formthe merchandise display as shown in FIG. 1. The back portions of thewalls and shelves may be provided with an adhesive substance such asglue to secure the skeletal structure within the housing, or theskeletal structure may held in place by frictional forces. In avariation, inner portions of the back wall 8, the side walls 6 and 7,top wall 3 and the bottom wall 4 may include indentations or channels(not shown) to accept or seat the corresponding back portions of theskeletal structure therein.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of two walls 16 and 18 fitted to one shelfunit 12 to form a skeletal structure that may be used as a merchandisedisplay. It should be noted that each of the walls 16 and 18 includes aplurality of slits 20 that are designed to interact or interlock withany of the plurality of slits 22 found on the shelf unit 12. The slits20 and 22 occur at predetermined uniform or non-uniform intervals alongthe length of the walls and shelves, and are provided so that differentcombinations of shelf and wall configurations can be assembled thatdefine different uniform or non-uniform areas. Any particularconfiguration of shelves and walls can depend upon considerations suchas the overall size of the merchandise display, the type and dimensionsof items to be displayed, and the weight of the items. In an embodiment,the slits 20 and 22 run approximately half the width “d” of the sidepanels 17 and 19 of each wall 16 and 18, and the slits 22 are likewiseabout half the distance “d1” of the shelf 12. This provides the mostsecure engagement of the walls and shelf members.

The plurality of slits permits alternate configurations of shelves to besecurely connected or interlocked to the wall panels in any desiredconfiguration to meet retailer or merchandiser requirements, and toprovide a skeletal structure having appropriate rigidity to support thedesired size or sizes of merchandise containers. The slits may be formedin predetermined uniform or non-uniform locations on the front edges ofthe walls and the back edges of the shelves so that after assembly theareas formed are proportional to the dimensions of items or products ofa particular manufacturer. For example, three or more walls could beused with two or more shelves to create different size areas. Such askeletal structure could be used with or without a housing to displaymerchandise. When the skeletal structure of assembled walls and shelvesare snuggly fit into the housing 2 as shown in FIG. 1, a visually clean,presentable, and stable merchandise display is provided.

It should also be noted that the preferred embodiment of walls and shelfcomponents have an “L-shaped” cross section. In particular, the walls 16and 18 include stand portions 30 and 32, and the shelves 12 and 14include article retaining lips 13 and 15, respectively (see FIGS. 2 and3). The L-shape of these components also function to add stability andrigidity to the skeletal structure 25 that results when they areassembled, as shown in FIG. 2. In an implementation, at least one of thecorrugated cardboard wall and shelf components includes flute wires,which are wires that are inserted into the flute-shaped corrugations andfunction to provide added support. One or more, preferably two, suchflute wires would be pre-installed before the shelf and/or wallcomponents are shipped to assemblers. The flute wires may be, forexample, one-sixteenth inch diameter wires that are capable of beingbent to support the stand portions of the wall components and/or thearticle retaining lip portions of the shelf components.

It should be understood that other cross-sectional shapes could be usedthat result in a skeletal structure that functions to adequatelyseparate and support merchandise containers. The walls and shelvesprovide mechanical strength to the resulting skeletal structure and aresufficiently rigid or non-bending to hold merchandise containers.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged, rear view of a wall 18 connected to two shelves12 and 14. As shown, one of the slits 20 of the walls 18 is interlockedwith a slit 22 of the shelf 12. The shelf unit 14 is connected in likemanner, and one or more additional walls (not shown) may also beinterlocked in like fashion.

Individual components (walls, shelves, housings) of the unassembledmerchandise display system 100 may be shipped separately to assemblers.In particular, the housing may be contained within a flat piece ofcardboard and then folded to obtain the generally rectangular shapeshown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The wall and shelf members likewise could beshipped flat, and then folded or otherwise manipulated to into shape andassembled to form skeletal structures by selecting particular wall slitsand shelf slits on each component to interlock as required. Instructionscould be provided on separate instruction sheets to co-packersindicating the appropriate configuration to assemble, or could beprinted directly on the housing or on the wall and shelf components, asappropriate. The components of the present merchandise display can beshipped more compactly than prior art merchandise displays, and thusshipping costs are reduced.

The unassembled components may also be shipped as kits, and two or morewalls and shelves may be provided in each kit depending on the type ofskeletal structure required. In a particular embodiment similar to thatillustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the walls 16 and 18 may be about 24 incheslong, and the shelf components 12 and 14 may be about 12 inches long,which are standard dimensions for certain merchandise displays in theretail industry. The length, width and depth of the housing, wall andshelf components may vary, depending on the items or merchandise to beseated thereon. Of course, the shelf, wall and housing components can bemade to be larger or smaller depending on various conditions such asmerchandise size and weight.

In a preferred embodiment, the housing, walls and the shelf componentsare made of a durable, lightweight, corrugated material such ascardboard. As mentioned above, such a merchandise display system may beshipped to a co-packer or to a product manufacturer for assembly at aproduct site, such as a warehouse, and could be provided as a flat orplanar form with scored sections that enable folding of the form toproduce the housing, along with a plurality of walls and shelfcomponents. But it should be understood that other materials could alsobe used, such as a resilient plastic, wood, rubber, fiberglass, metal ora composite material, so long as the merchandise display components havesufficient rigidity to resist bending under the weight of themerchandise, and during prolonged use. In particular, when in place, theskeletal structure must be strong enough to support the weight of themerchandise containers and must provide uninterrupted access to themerchandise for loading or unloading. Thus, if the product containers tobe inserted into the merchandise display are heavy, more walls could beused to support the shelves, or the shelves and walls could be made of astrong material.

Other configurations of the merchandise display are contemplated thatwould accommodate products of different sizes and weights. Furthermore,as also mentioned above, the walls and shelf components could have othercross-sectional shapes. In addition, a portion of one or both tips orends of these components could have a reduced size to facilitate fittingthe walls and/or shelves into a cavity or slit provided in the housingso as to firmly seat the skeletal structure therein.

If the merchandise display is to be loaded with heavy items, such asshampoo containers or tomato sauce jars, and then shipped to retailoutlets, then the housing, walls and shelves used to separate anddisplay the products must also be designed to withstand shipment of suchheavy products when the product display is laid on its back duringshipment. Moreover, the walls and shelves may be required to support theheavy products during shipment without breakage to either the productcontainers or to the walls and shelves themselves. Additional wallsand/or shelves could be supplied and located behind or underneath theheavy products to act as a support during shipment, and to support theitems during display in some cases. Provision could be made in housingso that such additional walls and/or shelves are centered behind theproducts, and these additional components would be inserted into thehousing during assembly in the same manner described above.

It should be understood that the merchandise display system presentedherein could be suitable for use by retailers, wholesalers,manufacturers or any others requiring an easy to assemble, inexpensiveand durable merchandise display. Simple assembly and low material costsare achieved by using a small number of common or shared walls andinterlocking shelves that include a plurality of slits, and that may beinserted within a standard size housing. Such a merchandise displaysystem could be used to display many different merchandise itemcombinations, and made of any number of desired materials to match anybudget and any marketplace. In particular, any of the disclosedembodiments could be made from a paper product such as corrugated board,durable cardboard stock or a paper composite material, which can beprepared so that it is easy to fold to form the generally rectangularshape of the housing or the shapes of the wall and shelf components. Useof such paper product materials lowers costs, especially when comparedto prior art product displays of this type which typically used morecostly materials that required special tooling and longer assembly time.The factors considered when choosing the material in which to fabricatea product display system according to the invention include durability,retail life span, product perception, retail environment and budgetconstraints.

The merchandise displays described herein could also be made of adurable plastic, a polymer material, or a rubberized material whichwould potentially allow the product display to be reused many times. Ifthe same or even if different products are to be loaded into such areusable merchandise display, a co-packer or retail store employee needonly change any advertisements or other artwork appearing on themerchandise display to make the merchandise display appear to look likenew again.

It should also be understood that the manufacturing processes used tomake the various components may include any of vacuum forming a plasticmaterial, die cutting a material, using injection molding and all othertypes of molding to form a component, heat bending, wood routing andother manufacturing processes known to those skilled in the art. Suchmanufacturing processes could be used alone or in any combination.

A number of embodiments of the invention have been described.Nevertheless, it will be understood that various modifications may bemade without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.Accordingly, other embodiments are within the scope of the followingclaims.

1. A merchandise display system, comprising: at least one elongated wallhaving front and rear edges and including a plurality of slits extendingfrom the front edge into the wall; and at least one shelf having frontand rear edges and including a plurality of slits extending from therear edge into the shelf, wherein the wall and shelf slits areconfigured to be matingly engageable so that the shelf and wall can beselectively interlocked by engagement of a shelf slit and a wall slit toform a skeletal structure that defines uniform or non-uniform areas, asdesired.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, which further comprises a skeletalstructure including two shelves interlocked with two walls.
 3. Theapparatus of claim 1, wherein each shelf includes an article retaininglip provided at the front edge of the shelf.
 4. The apparatus of claim1, wherein each wall includes a stand portion provided on the rear edgeof the wall.
 5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the slits of the wallare generally aligned with each other but are present in a non-uniformpattern.
 6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the slits of the shelf aregenerally aligned with each other but are present in a non-uniformpattern.
 7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one of the walland the shelf is made of corrugated cardboard.
 8. The apparatus of claim7, wherein the corrugated cardboard is bent to form first and secondside portions.
 9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the corrugatedcardboard is bent to form the front lip of the shelf.
 10. The apparatusof claim 7, wherein the corrugated cardboard is bent to form the standportion of the wall.
 11. The apparatus of claim 7, which furthercomprises at least one flute wire inserted into at least one of the walland shelf.
 12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the wall and the shelfare made of the same material.
 13. The apparatus of claim 12, whereinthe material comprises at least one of a paper composite material,cardboard, corrugated cardboard, plastic, rubber, fiberglass, metal or acomposite material.
 14. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprisingarticles for display arranged in the areas.
 15. The apparatus of claim1, wherein the wall slits extend about half-way into the wall.
 16. Theapparatus of claim 1, wherein the shelf slits extend about half-way intothe shelf.
 17. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a housing.18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the housing is rectangular andcomprises a top wall, a bottom wall, a first side wall, a second sidewall, and a rear wall.
 19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein thehousing is of one piece construction.
 20. The apparatus of claim 17,wherein the skeletal structure is configured to be fitted into thehousing.
 21. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the wall, the shelf andthe housing are all made of the same material.
 22. The apparatus ofclaim 21, wherein the material comprises at least one of a papercomposite material, cardboard, corrugated cardboard, plastic, rubber,fiberglass, metal or a composite material.
 23. The apparatus of claim17, wherein each shelf includes an article retaining lip provided at thefront edge of the shelf.
 24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein eachwall includes a stand portion provided on the rear edge of the wall. 25.The apparatus of claim 23, further comprising articles for displayarranged in the areas so that they stand on the shelf and are retainedby the lip.
 26. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the article retaininglips include at least one of artwork, advertising or promotionalmaterial.
 27. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein at least one of thewall and the shelf includes a non-uniform pattern of slits.